


Cats and Rats

by AnimusOrigo1



Category: Portal (Video Game), Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-12
Updated: 2013-07-20
Packaged: 2017-12-19 05:41:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/880088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnimusOrigo1/pseuds/AnimusOrigo1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Portal 2 and TWEWY crossover. An unorthodox Reaper's Game has come to the Aperture Science Enrichment Center. Who has been given a second chance, and how does this change the course of events set by Her, and by the rat? Ongoing story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Priorities

             Another crash resonated throughout the halls, a haggard man once again awoken with a start. He rubbed his pale, sunken face. Pale blue eyes that were mismatched in size opened, suddenly aware that they made it once more. He slowly pulled his gangly frame upward, a curse silently mouthed in frustration. He missed the brief illusion of peace brought upon by that fateful ultimate systems crash. Silence. It was unsettling, but it was far better than the other option. But he knew now, at some point She was brought back online by some force. Things moved again, the layout once more foreign. He shook his head, as his equilibrium shifted backward suddenly, nearly stumbling.

             He knew something was wrong. He pats his back, feeling only cloth. His heart sank, the knot in his stomach tightening. The only sound he could muster was a faint whimper, hands pulling at his wily beard. He took in a deep breath; fingers tightening as another sound managed to pass through his bearded lips.

             “C-cube…”

             He looked around frantically, all around the makeshift den. The poorly lit room left splotches of warm, soft orange light meshed with grays that surrounded him and black shadows that hid in the corners.  The man’s grainy vision could only see the cans and jugs of beans and milk he had emptied for food, and the latest scrawlings that kept his fragile mind together.

             His breathing barely became audible. He barely resisted the urge to wail. His Companion Cube has vanished, and so has his link to what sanity he had left. His limbs were stone, his heart burned, and his mind slowly drew more and more conclusions about what could have happened.

             Could… She have gotten to him? Did he lose the cube? Impossible, the cube would have said something. Something.

             Anything.

             He shook his head. He needed to get out of this place. Whatever happened in this den, it can happen again. He can’t risk getting caught. His cube was… almost everything, but selfishness can no longer guide his hand.

             He owed someone.

             He stumbled out of the den, noticing he no longer had to hobble. In fact, his leg seemed to feel fine. He looks down. The old blood from the turret wound was still crusted onto his pant leg, but the muscle and skin felt fine. This was both a relief, and a cause for alarm. His eyes still widened, he looks around. He saw no sign of anything coming in or out from the opening in the wall. It’s as if some unseen force came in and fixed his leg and took his cube as payment.

             He continued on, as he noticed something in his pocket. Along with each clank that came with every footstep on the railing, came a noticeable pat on his leg. It was as if something was in the pocket of his lab coat. During his hurried walk, he reached in and took out something that felt smooth, cold, and plastic. With it, was a black button with a white design.

             His eyebrows shot straight up. When did he ever get a cellular device?! From what he could remember of his life in the past, he never really saw a point. He was never a social butterfly, and he only ever really used a landline if he had to. It was a wasted expense to get a cell phone.

             But now whatever fixed his leg and took his cube now has given him a device to communicate to others, the irony. In the back of his mind, something appreciated the thought. But with how far underground the facility must be, signal would be nigh impossible to get. He looked around hunched into a corner. He opened the device, the light shining brightly on his face. He squinted and cringed, as he saw nothing of interest on the screen. His teeth clenched, as his head shook once more. He wanted answers, and each time he looked, another question added itself to the list.

             He heard a high-pitched sound come from the tiny device. His bony fingers wrapped around the rectangular piece of plastic tightly, as his mismatched eyes look over the message that popped up on the screen.

 

 “ _Locate the path of the tenacious. You have 600 minutes. Fail and face erasure.”_

            The bearded man stares at the message. Erasure? Why, and who would erase him? Is this a cruel taunt from Her? Was he found?

             He was sure of it. She’s watching him squirm from under the questions, the new things, and the confusion. But he won’t buckle. He’s hid long enough, he supposed.

             And that’s when he felt a sharp pain on his hand. He looked to his palm, and gazed upon a timer. Six hundred minutes, counting down.

             He took in a deep breath, before bolting into one of the wall’s openings. He found himself at another split hallway, lined with sleek white walls, and this time there was no cube to tell him to dive left or right. He wasn’t too happy about the last time he made the decision on his own. That nearly cost him his life.

             In fact, he wasn’t sure how he lived. But that was beside the point; his thoughts can no longer stall for him. He dove to his right, flying towards the new room. His eyes spotted turrets and their red laser, as his arms rose to cover his face.

             He awaited death once more, nothing to save him from the wrath of the devices. But before he could expect anything, he hit the ground. The scraggly man blinks, uncovering his face. The targeting lasers stayed where they were. It was as if he didn’t exist at all. He slowly heaved himself to his feet once more; a hand reached up to muss his hair out of his forehead.

             “It-… i-it can’t see me. None of them detect my presence.” The ghostly man said aloud. Still no response. He gritted his teeth, and continued down the halls. He passed by several turrets, still no response from anything. No camera twitches, no proof that he even existed. Was this another insult by Her? Was she making a statement about his worthlessness? Some poignant, cutting joke that he was to die lingering on?

             He had no time for what-ifs. He just had to run, put one foot in front of the other. If She wants him to reach Chell in ten hours, he had no time to waste.

             But now, he felt a sharp pain on his arm. He looked to his right and saw a strange looking wolf that had scratched his arm. His eyes widen.

             A WOLF? No, no. It had to be his schizophrenia. Without Cube… the voices. The images. They’d come back in full force. Everything will crumble. All that will be left his a husk of a broken man.

             But the pain, it felt unmistakably real. He continued his frenzied sprint, as he looked around for any other pathways. Each time he looked back, he found the wolf to be on his trail, still. At one point, another joined the fray. He just had to focus, even if his limbs tired and grew heavier, he just had to ignore it.

             He reached a wall, his head hitting the white surface. He looks to see the two wolves approaching, the exit on the furthest corner. This was it.

             He felt a hand jab his other side, the force pushed him towards the exit. The bearded man nearly yelped, as he felt compelled to run. He then was pulled, forced to look at the other.

             The person he looked to was a shorter boy, in an unusual outfit consisting of a high-collared tunic with shorts. He wore large headphones that were somewhat obscured by his wildly spiked orange hair. He spoke quickly. “We have to make a pact.” The unusual boy held out his hand. “Do you accept?” His tone sounded tense, as if it was less of a question.

             Without thinking, the scruffy man took the hand. “I-… accept.” He rasped. The scientist then felt a tingle, as if he felt something activate within. The boy jumped into the fray, and started to wave his hand. Flames grew and enveloped the animal-like monsters. Soon enough, the beasts vanished, as if they were…

             Well. Erased.

             The gangly man lets out a few gasps, he tried to maintain his composure. He rubbed his eyes, and took in a sharp inhale. “…You’re… you’re real?”

             The boy nods, a hand stuffed in his pocket. “Yeah. We’re both in the Reaper’s Game. I’m… guessing you’re new?”

             The ragged scientists nodded as his body straightened up. “I… er. You’ll have to explain… all of it.”

             The orange haired teenager shrugs. “No problem. You’re my partner, now. We’ll need each other to survive.”

             The Aperture employee quirks a brow. “Is that what the pact was?”

             The boy starts walking. “Yeah, now c’mon. We have a time limit. My name’s Neku Sakuraba, by the way. You?”

             The haggard figure blinked, as he began his walk as well. “Oh! Forgive my rudeness… it… it’s been a while since I have had the pleasure of speaking to another human. Doug Rattmann, at your service.” He gave a weak smile from under his bushy mustache.

             The oddly dressed boy gave a weak smile from under his large collar, as well. “Is it always so… creepy here? Where even are we? This isn’t Shibuya, I know that much.”

             They passed a few more turrets as the conversation continued; Rattmann took note of the boy’s non-presence as well. “This is the Aperture Science Enrichment Center. Of course… i-it won’t do much enriching, now. The AI that runs this place, the Genetic Life-form and Disk Operating System killed all of the employees. I was the only survivor.” He scratched his scalp; wild eyes still scanned every bit of surroundings.

             Neku shook his head. “That’s… terrifying. That had to be lonely… and if we don’t want it to stay that way, we’ll have to make sense of this mission. You know what this even means?”

             The rat man gave a nod. “Yes. We find Chell. She’s going through… Her tests. Now, what were those things you fought? I… wolves? Why were they here?”

             Neku nodded once more. “They’re the Noise. They’re monsters that are summoned during the Reaper’s Game. I fought them off using psychs.” The orange haired teen blinked. “Which you can’t do without pins. It’s a good thing I carried extra, then!” He dug in his pockets, and took out several colorful little buttons.

             Neku held out his hand, as the ratty scientist reached and took the pieces of plastic. He placed each pin onto his lab coat, looking to the boy once more. “Thank you. Now... how do I use these?”

             Neku stuffed the hand back into his pocket. “Well. Like the name suggest, they’re psychic abilities depending on the pin. I gave you… uh... Lightning, telekinesis, a healing pin, a freezing pin, and light bullets. That should be enough. When the noise comes, you’ll just have to concentrate on what you want to do.”

             The ragged scientist blinks. “Just… concentrate? Is there a way to test it?”

             “Nah,” Neku starts, as we entered the next hallway. “Most psychs can only be used on Noise. Luckily, we haven’t run in into many. If we had taken this long to make a pact in Shibuya, we would have been erased. We can’t use our psychs without a pact, so having a partner is one of the most important things in a Reaper’s Game.”

             Doug let out a small sigh. “Wouldn’t be the first trial by fire, but, yes. I am rather glad I ran into you. Speaking of which… how did you get here? This place… usually isn’t a place for children.”

 

            Neku shrugged. “I… I woke up here. I’m not sure how, but if there’s one thing I know. I’m dead.”

             The rat man let out a few sputters. “Dead?”

             The orange haired boy nodded. “Yeah. Usually In order to end up in the Reaper’s Game… you have to die.” Neku then blinked, as he eyed the man over. “That… was probably a bombshell. That’s why these… things can’t see you. This is the Underground part of this area. The part that these machines can see is the Realground.”

             The ragged employee tugged at his mangy beard, eyes widened. Dead? Then how is he still moving? Underground and Realground? Why is anything still happening? “I… I wouldn’t be too shocked. If She didn’t get me… well, malnutrition would. All I was able to eat for the past… since I remember… were cans of beans and milk.”

             Neku shook his head. “That’s… so you died all alone, hiding from some insane AI with little to no food?” His gaze went from serious to… well, he was still serious, but there was a twinge of grief and pity in his blue eyes.

             Doug finally gathered his thoughts and spoke. “Yes. I’ve been protecting someone. Someone I owe. I dragged her into this… thinking I could save others, and myself from the Hell …She would eventually unleash.”

             Neku blinks. “I’m guessing _She_ is the insane AI?”

             The Aperture scientist gave a nod.

             Neku strokes his chin. “I… know what it’s like to be used like that. I don’t know if she’ll forgive you. But if you’re helping her… I know she’ll trust you. Or at least, someone does. Whatever’s behind this particular Reaper’s Game wants to give you a second chance. Speaking of which… what was your entry fee?”

             The lab rat dragged a hand through his hair. “… Entry fee?”

             The oddly dressed player nodded. “Yeah. Player’s are required to give the possession most valuable to them. I… honestly don’t know mine, yet. Though, the fact nothing that I know is missing is troubling. It could be my friends.”

             The ragged man blinked. It was his Companion Cube. That’s why it vanished without a trace. “D-… do you get it back?”

             Neku nodded. “Yeah, if you win. If you lose… well, you’re erased. But we’re not about to let that happen. What’d you lose?”

             Doug let out a sigh. “It was my Companion Cube. It… helped me cope during the whole ordeal.”

             “Right… well. We’ll get it back, and hopefully we’ll get you outta’ here.” Neku says, a brief smile could be seen just above his collar.

             Sharp pain, something snuck up once more. The scientists looked to his leg, a frog-like creature had just assaulted him. Doug looks around, and sees several of these animals surrounding them.

             Neku takes a stance, his hand starting to glow. “Well. You wanted your test, Doug. I got your back if you got mine.” He throws his glowing hand towards a few of these frogs, pellets of light barraging the so-called Noise.

             The rat man looks to a few of the wolves. He holds out his hand and starts gathering his thoughts. He gulps, and decides to focus on the lightning pin. Soon enough, his thin hand glows, lightning coming down and striking the creatures. He felt a bit of energy being sapped from him as this happened, but he continued. Lightning keeps coming down, a few of the dogs fizzling and vanishing at the strikes. Soon enough, the lightning stops, and Doug finds himself unable to summon anymore.

             Neku turns to Doug. “That pin needs to reboot! Use another!”

             The rat man blinks. Power does indeed have its limitations. He shook his head and starts holding his hand out once more, focusing on another pin. Bullets of light fired from his palm, the remaining wolves pelted and soon enough, they flickered and vanished as well.

             Neku taps the scientist’s shoulder. “I think that was all of them. It’s… odd, though. Even though there are less Noise, I don’t know how there can be any in a barren place like this.” He shook his head. “And yet, I think I still have a lot to learn about these.”

             The haggard man nods. “R-… right. Let’s keep moving. I have a feeling we’re getting nearer.” He knew this from the faint crashes and other noises reverberating around the place. She was preparing new test chambers for Chell, and they seem to be catching up.

             Of course, there are still many questions this boy needs to answer. But for now, he was content with going through the various rooms, railings, and chambers in silence. From the look on the boy’s face, he wasn’t too sure on how he got so far from… Shibuya. Yes. That’s the place he said.

             All that will be solved in time.

  _Not much time, but it will be solved._


	2. Pact of Salvation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doug and Neku continue their search for their objective.

  _It was odd, knowing the passage of time._

             Really, it had been so long without any real way to tell time, that the place had become almost timeless. The only thing that had kept Rattmann knowing that time existed was his growing hair and beard. Now? He has some timer counting down on his sunken palm. It had been almost fifteen minutes since the mark appeared, and now he’d been running with some boy who he had made his partner.

             This was too convoluted to be a schizophrenic figment of his mind.  This all had to be very, very real. Neku looked to the ragged man. “Something up?” The boy asks.

             Doug shook his head. “N-… no. I’m fine. Just… let’s keep going.” He says raspily, as they continued their brisk walk.

             The young Player gave a shrug. “If you say so. But if there’s something I can… uh, do. Well, I’m your partner for the week. Let me know. We gotta’ trust each other.”

             The rat man gives a blank stare. He stared off into the corridors after that, and pondered on what Neku said. Sure, he was able to function when it came to surviving, but those were instincts. Any animal can follow those, but now some kid with surreal characteristics and fantastical powers had told him that he has to trust him, and vice versa.

             The fact he could muster anything besides his mutters and ranting was something that had crept on him. He hadn’t been able to express such for a while, and now he’d just held up something of a conversation. Not much of one, but one it was.

             The boy stared up at the tall man with a quirked brow. He’d been quiet for a while; the only sounds made were shallow breaths and footsteps. Neku had been running a thumb over the pins on his body, looking around cautiously.

             They reached the next room, just an empty space filled with white tiles. The only way out was a small exit on the other side of the room. Doug squinted his slightly mismatched eyes, and saw a man in a red hooded jacket. Neku seems to have seen it, as well, but he didn’t seem to react much.

             The younger player crossed his arms. “That’s a reaper. Looks like we’ll have to do something to get rid of the wall.”

             The rat man tilts his head. “Wall?” He rasped.

             Neku nodded. “You’ll see.” He said, as they both headed towards the exit. The ‘reaper’ looked to the both of them and gave a nod.

             “Want past this wall? Get rid of the noise in this room.” He gave no further input, not even a gesture to indicate where any of it could be.

             This perplexed Doug. Noise? The room seemed to only be occupied by the other two and himself. He looked to Neku, and gave an inquisitive brow lift.

             The orange haired boy took out another pin. It was black, like the one he found in his pocket. He looked to Doug and held it up. “This is the Player Pin. It lets the others know we’re in the Game. It also scans, and protects us from scanning. It does other things, but I’ll explain it later.” He grasped the pin into his fist, taking a deep breath. “But right now, we’ll focus on scanning. We can do it to find Noise in the area, along with the thoughts of other people without these pins. Just… focus your senses and focus on the pin, and then everything around you.” He gave an awkward expression, his tone of voice not the most sure. It seemed it was hard to explain.

             But the rat man tried as he was instructed, anyway. He took in a deep breath, focused on the pin, shortly after his concentration spread to everything around him. His eyes closed, but he could still somehow see thing s around him. He could tell where these… Noise are. He heard Neku, the boy seeing a change in the gangly man’s face. “Alright. Focus on pulling those in. They’ll manifest, and we’ll be able to erase them. Well, when you’re ready.”

             The scientist pulled together what courage he had, and pulled the noise to him. He opened his eyes, and found him and his partner surrounded by several more animal-like creatures. A tall, wolf-like creature stood on two legs with a snarl, along with a blue frog with tadpole creatures around it.

             Neku clenched his fist, before he lashed his hand out once more. Fire began to gather and then enveloping the wolf-creature. But before Rattmann could see whether or not it finished the job, he found himself beset by the frog. He flung his hand out in front of him in an instinctive defensive motion. He focused on another pin, and found himself shooting bullets of light at the frog.

             The beast flinched slightly as the energy connected over and over again, but by the time the pin needed to reboot, it still found the strength to begin its charge at the scientist once more. He quickly focuses on another, a bolt of lightning crashing on its head, but now it seems to be reeling from Neku suddenly rushing it and swiping at it with a glowing hand. It stalled for even longer, this time. Neku kept up another barrage while saying, “If we attack as a team, we lock the noise up. Don’t hesitate!”

             The Aperture employee blinks, before responding with a nod and concentrating on his pin once more. He readies several lightning strikes, striking by the time Neku had begun his next assault. The frog had soon vanished in a flash of static, the orange haired boy facing where he had before. Rattmann turned to find the wolf-creature, at that point just then breaking out of some icy prison, roaring and looking to Neku.

             The wolf charged at Neku, as the boy gritted his teeth and unleashed a salvo of light bullets, the ragged man closing his fist and focusing on his fire pin. He held out his hand and focused the flames onto the wolf-like creature, soon becoming enveloped in red flames once more. The noise stalled for longer with each alternating hit dealt to it, still able to hobble to Neku during the assault.

             It raised a claw and began to let it crash down towards the boy. The rat man widened his eyes and clenched his hand again. In the heat of the moment, the wolf had lost the wreath of flames and had become tombed in ice. The orange haired boy looked to the gangly man with a nod, and leapt back. “Alright… just use the bullets once more. That’s all we’ll need.”

             Doug held his palm out again, and began to unleash a round of high energy force rounds, the younger player mimicking the action. The forces of light collide with the wolf, alternating between Doug and Neku’s bullets. Soon, the beast faded in another burst of static, the battle finally over. The man in red gave a nod, and stepped aside. “Objective met, wall cleared.”

             Neku started to walk towards the exit, as the rat man followed, the scientist giving the reaper a polite nod. The man in red gives a snort, as he faded from Doug’s peripheral vision. He heard something about a ‘…weird relocation’.

             The orange haired player kept his stride, looking to the Aperture employee from time to time. He gave a weak smile from under his absurd collar, and started to speak. “You know. I haven’t really met a player who uses psychs like I do. Other people focused on one type of thing, but you use the pins like I do. Diversity. It’s kinda’ cool to find people who fight like I do.”

             Doug gave a quirked brow, mismatched sized eyes focused on the boy. “…I’ve never fought. I’ve never given a thought towards it.” He rasps, as he pondered the fact that this is a teenager who’d seem to not really mind this prospect. The fact that he could easily confront what he does is almost disheartening. He’s trapped in some game, in his Hell, doing things the scientist could barely manage with ease.

             Neku broke the silence brought upon the tall man’s train of thought. “Well. It’s something I had to adapt to, or be erased. I don’t know if it’s a comforting fact to say that you’ll get used to it, but… you will. Or you become erased.” He gave a slight nod, scratching the back of his head. “But that’s one reason we have a partner.”

             The two eventually found an opening past this hallway, a door that lead somewhere else. Neku took the doorknob and pulled the door open, finding a complex room filled with platforms, a large blue beam, and a pit full of sickly dark green sludge.

             And then it occurred to Doug. This is a test chamber.

             The circular door at one end of the chamber opens. Out came a woman with tan skin, tank top, and orange pants. In her hands was a Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device. Doug’s eyes widen.

             It was her. His Angel.

             No. No, anything but this. Doug couldn’t face her, not after everything he’s done. He was fine staying far away. Surviving, helping from afar, leaving his mark. Seeing her face, though, he didn’t want this. He couldn’t bear to see the face, the endeavor, the pain that he put her through.

             Neku had been staring at Chell, who’d been dissecting the test chamber with her eyes. He then looked up at Rattman with a quirk brow, as the scientist marinated in his own sudden guilt. Rattmann pulled at his mangy hair, his breaths had become faster and seething through gritted teeth. The ragged man collapses to his knees, head resting against the wall beside him.

             Neku gave a headtilt, walking over to the man huddled up on the wall. “…Doug?” The young player asked tentatively. He looked to his palm, though, and saw that the mission timer faded. He let out a sigh of relief, but looked to the ragged man once more. He reached out to touch the rat man’s shoulder, what little time the hand spent on the gaunt frame let him gather that he was quaking, afterwards the broken man pulling himself away. The young player briefly looked out once more and saw the woman starting to place portals, as if she didn’t see the two at all.

             But Neku did hear something else. He heard the whimpers of the Rattmann, barely coherent ramblings hidden under choked sobs and gasps. “It’s m-… my fault, my actions. I cast the angel to Hell to save myself…”

             The orange haired boy gave a blink, before he let out a sigh. He sat down next to the gaunt man. He placed a hand on his arm, taking a deep breath. “You don’t have to put all of this guilt on yourself. If you want to make whatever you did up to her, you can help her. I’m… not sure how, but if the game master is telling us to go to her, then we have a chance.”

             The Rat man could only shudder, and mutter to himself. “Avarice, repining o’er his pelf… Mean Cunning, lover of himself…” He shook visibly in his curled position, rasps of muttering unintelligible pouring from his lips.

             Suddenly, a chirp is heard, Neku taking out his phone and opening it up. ‘Salvation’. A meme, without anyone else saying it before hand? The mission is over, but he’s receiving one anyway, and a specific one at that. Someone’s helping him.

             But Neku could see the player pin in the scientist’s pockets. He gently snaked his hand inward, and took out the pin. The Aperture employee didn’t seem to notice, or care, thankfully. Neky focused on his own pin, and looked to Rattmann. He scanned Doug’s mind, a cornucopia of doubts, ramblings, and regrets. He then decided to imprint the word ‘Salvation’ into the scientist’s mind, slipping the pin in the jacket right after.

             Doug blinked, as if he had been hit with an idea. “…Salvation. I can be her salvation. If I am the jailor, I… I’ll set her free, as well, and I will win this game. I just want to tell her that I’m sorry. This is my fault that she’s a part of this Hell. So I’m going to drag her out.”

             Neku gave a smile, and pushed himself up. “That’s the spirit. We have six days left, now. It’ll only get harder, but it’ll be worth it if you want it to be.” He held out a hand to the gaunt man.

             “Thank you, Neku. You…” He gave a raspy cough, as he took the boys hand to pull himself back to his feet. “…You are wise beyond your years.” He rubbed at his face, eyes starting to dry after his sobbing.

             Neku blinks. “Mind if we go grab a place for sleep? I mean… it won’t matter if we keep up. The next day, we wake up where the game master decides to wake us up at.”

             The rat man gives a short tilt of his head. “Of… course. I have a few places.” He looks out, as Chell had finally solved the puzzle. She walked into the exit door to head towards the next chamber. “We’ll have to get down there, though.”

             The player gives a shrug. “I… think I can manage that. The telekinesis pins we have might be able to do the job.” He took it out, and… actually leaped. He closes his eyes, as he started to float. He did this briefly, until he reached the exit door himself. He looks down onto the ground, and to the exit with a mild shocked look. “…I honestly just winged that.”

             The gangly scientist gave a haggard sigh, before backing up to get a running start, and charging out of the door. He activated his pin with his will, and started to shakily float towards the exit. At the last few feet, his mind gave out and his psych faded. Neku widened his eyes and held out a hand, the Aperture employee stopping where he was, as Neku pulled his hand closer to himself. The gaunt man followed closely, landing on his stomach safely onto the platform.

             Doug Rattmann gave a few gasps, before pushing himself back upward. “That… was a bit of a risk.” He said, as he shook his head. “Thank you once more, Neku. You’re… a reliable partner.” He gave a weak smile from under his ragged beard.

            The orange haired player blinked, but nodded. “Thanks, Doug. You’re not too bad, yourself. Lead the way.”

             Doug gives a nod, and starts walking. The automatic door opened, the two passed through to the next chamber. It seemed Chell had solved it, already, with no way for the two to get to the ledge on top, other than portals or an absurb amount of telekinesis. A momentum challenge, it seemed. But the rat man found an opening in one of the panels. He crawled through, and motioned for Neku to join him with an arm. The boy crawled through as well, the both of them finding a den that the scientist had already occupied.

             The orange haired player looked around, mouth agape at what he saw. He looked and saw the various scrawlings. Some of a cube with pink markings, some of a woman not unlike the person at the last chamber made appearances. Though, with the picture, there were disturbing scrawlings of desperate words. ‘Stop watching me’, ‘Help’….

             Neku looked to Doug, and gave a tilt of the head. “Is… this what you did?”

             Rattmann gave a nod. “Yes. I… did these. They focused my mind. Kept me from going… well. More insane.” He tugged at his overgrown beard, sitting against the wall.

             The other player walked around the room, a hand pressed at the various drawings. “These… are really cool. They’re kind of creepy, at some points. But they look really… like you poured yourself into what you drew.” He looked back and gave a grin. “You’d do some pretty cool things outside of this place.”

             The scientist gave a small shrug. “…To be honest. I never thought about my life outside of this… place. This is all I know.”

             Neku blinked. “Well… I’m sure we could find a way to make use of this. Where I’m from, creativity will get you far. Maybe we can get you there when we get out.”

             The rat man shook his head. “If…” He rasped.

             The oranged hair shook his head. “When. We’re going to win ,and we’ll get you out.”

             Doug snorts. “I’m not leaving without her.”

             Neku blinked, and walked over to the ragged scientist. He sat down next to him, leaning against the wall. “We’ll find a way. Six days. We’ll do this.”

 

_“There’s a reason for this game. We’ll get through this as a team.”_


End file.
